A Somewhat Wonderful Life
by Goombario Jr
Summary: If you picked Candace in Tree of Tranquility, this one's for you. Rating may and probably will be changed for later chapters. This is through the eyes of the "player" male, not a specific one in the game.
1. The Girl of my Dreams

I don't own Harvest Moon in any way. All rights go to the respective owners, companies, etc. I own nothing.

--- Harvest Moon: A Somewhat Wonderful Life ---

Chapter 1: The Girl of my Dreams

"Um, Honey… I packed a lunch for you. Have a nice day."

She said those exact words every morning before handing me a box lunch. It had been a few seasons since the two of us married, and we couldn't be happier. Neither of us were really the talkative types, but I think that's what brought us together.

I'll never forget the day I met her.

My ranch was just beginning to come together – I had just bought my first chicken, and the crops were starting to actually get me a nice bit of money every day. After I finished my morning chores, I decided to head into town and see what was happening today. Waffle town wasn't exactly a big place, but there was always something going on.

I had just left the General Store when I saw that the building next to the Meringue Clinic had finally opened up. Instead of the run-down mess, it was a very nice building now. It had a somewhat pink paint job and it wasn't an eyesore anymore. That's when I saw her; the girl who would soon become the best part of my life - Candace.

She was standing outside, looking at the world around her, as if island life was a completely new concept. I slowly approached her, freezing in place as she noticed me for the first time. She turned, her eyes glancing to the ground as if she couldn't bring herself to look at me.

"H-Hello…"

That short greeting started it all. Shortly after I met her, I knew that I was feeling a bit more than friendship for the girl. After meeting her in the Clinic one day while buying a few cups of Herbal Tea, I found out that it was one of her favorite things – The perfect gift. I gave her a few on occasion, and even got her something special for her birthday. After quite a few weeks of conversation, seeing her became to be the highlight of my day. We never talked for long, but I loved every second we spent together.

Our first date went perfectly – A beach picnic. The day was sunny and beautiful; nothing could ruin it, and nothing did. Things were going great, and they only improved. The two of us went steady for quite a while, until one day, Mayor Hamilton greeted me early one morning.

"Blue Bird of Happiness …" That's all I really remember of what he said, but it's all that was important – I found the blue feather, and took that time to propose to the girl I love. I was sweating bullets as I presented it to her, but after seeing her eyes light up, I knew everything would be fine.

"I... L-Love you…"

It seemed that after our marriage, she loved saying those three little words to me every day. No matter how many times I heard them, I always blushed – Life was absolutely perfect for us.

Or so I thought.


	2. Bully?

--- Chapter 2: Bully? ---

Like I said, things seemed to have been perfect for the two of us. Candace was still her shy self, but she seemed to open up a bit more when I was around – Maybe being married did that to her, I really don't know.

I remember the day was relatively nice; the rain was beginning to let up, and I had just paid to get our house revamped again since it was beginning to feel a bit cramped with all of the furniture that mysteriously appeared after Candace's trip to the Flea Market. As soon as I turned to head home, I saw him. A guy whose face I would grow to simply hate.

"Oh, hello … Is that really what you're wearing? You have such an odd taste in fashion!" He'd said to me with a smug look on his face.

His name was Julius. Day and night, all he seemed to talk about were his looks. It wouldn't surprise me if the man wore make-up. I have nothing against his opinions on clothing and whatnot, what bothered me was what happened a few days later at the Art festival.

"Hello there, Candace."

Julius stopped the two of us as we were walking through town. Candace looked away, as if something about him scared her. It seemed just hearing his voice brought back some kind of horrible memory.

"What's wrong? Don't you remember me?" He continued talking, and Candace moved behind me, as if she was hiding from him. I didn't see what her problem was – The man was just trying to be nice. From what he said, the two must have known each other; I didn't really care about that, I was more worried about why the guy was alienating my wife.

"Candace, what's wrong?" I asked her as I turned around, only to see the girl shaking in fear. What in the world happened between these two? Julius stepped forward and attempted to reach past me to touch her – I grabbed his wrist before he had the chance. "The lady doesn't want to speak to you." I said, glaring at him. I liked him before, but anyone who upsets Candace at all isn't someone I really want hanging around.

"We were only childhood friends!" Julius said, stepping back. I blinked, looking at him.

"Then why is she so terrified of you?" I asked. He shrugged. I turned back to Candace, patting her back as she clung to me. "Come on … What's up?" I asked. She leaned close to my ear, muttering:

"That girl used to bully me all the time …" She said quietly as she buried her head into my shoulder.

"Oh, she did, did she?" I turned to Julius again, that same glare on my face. Wait a minute … I thought he was a guy. Wasn't he?

"I'm not a she!" He said, looking very offended at this. "I just have fantastic looks, that's all!" He walked off, not saying another word. As soon as he was out of sight, Candace released her hold on me, still looking a little shaken-up.

"What did he do to you?" I asked, taking her hand. "He's gone, everything's fine now."

"C-Can we just go home, p-please…?" She mumbled, on the verge of tears.

"No problem, we can catch the festival next time." I smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed lightly, a small smile forming on her lips. I wiped a tear from her eye as we made our way home.

After heading inside and wrapping her in a blanket (She was very cold after this for some reason,) I sat down next to her on the sofa, my arm around her as she snuggled into me, staying silent.

"So what's up between you and Julius?" I asked, looking down as I stroked her hair. She shook her head, refusing to look up at me.

"I do not want to talk about it…" She said quietly, now laying her head on my lap. I sighed, smiling as I looked down at her.

"No problem. We don't ever have to talk about that guy again." I said. She nodded, not saying a word. Before I could say anything else, she had fallen asleep. I wasn't going to force it out of her, but I had to know what happened. After carrying her to bed and making sure she was tucked in, I quietly closed the door behind me and headed for town. Whatever he did, I was going to make sure he apologized for it.

---

Yeah, I know that isn't really his normal personality. I never triggered the Heart events with him and Candace (I married her,) so I had to learn about the childhood friends thing through YouTube, and I also tossed in some drama for the hell of it.


End file.
